The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Monday, March 23, 2015

This Week In Film History: March 22-28

MovieFanFare has another This Week In Film History post with a few notable items from the Swing Era, including Johnny Weissmuller's first appearance as Tarzan, and the first film version of a comic book super hero.   

March 25, 1932: Olympic swimming champ Johnny Weissmuller is Tarzan the Ape Man and Maureen O’Sullivan Jane in the first in MGM’s jungle adventure series.
March 28, 1935: Director Leni Riefenstahl’s propaganda documentary Triumph of the Will, chronicling a 1934 Nazi rally at Nuremberg, premieres in Berlin.
March 28, 1941: The first movie adaptation of a comic book superhero appears with the first episode of Republic’s serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel.
March 25, 1943: Japanese director Akira Kurosawa‘s first film, Sanshiro Sugata, is released.
March 22, 1944: Hollywood enters the age of TV advertising, as Paramount promotes The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek in a 30-minute program hosted by director Preston Sturges.
March 24, 1949: Laurence Olivier’s production of Hamlet is the first non-Hollywood film to win a Best Picture Academy Award. Also, John Huston (Best Director) and dad Walter (Best Supporting Actor) are the first father/son winners, for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

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